Most "small birds" will eat anything
(omnivorous). They should be offered a variety of food for their choice.
Include:

Meats

Low fat canned dog food

Small puppy kibble

Broiled chicken

Strained beef baby food

Hard-boiled chicken egg yolk

Live insects (meal worms)

Grains

High protein dry baby cereal

Wheat germ and corn or oatmeal crushed to
a powder in a blender.

The best diet for "meat eaters" is
whole live or freshly killed mice, rats, guinea pigs, chicks, etc.

Hand feeding is best accomplished with the help
of the rounded end of a chopstick or a piece of cardboard. The food
mixture should be the consistency of thick paste so it can be molded into
pellets of swallowable size. A vitamin /mineral supplement which contains
vitamins D2 and D3 should be included in the ration of all wild birds.
Self feeders should have a mineral-iodized salt-grit in a dish in their cage.
Some of the mature birds need force feeding at first, and most of them will
gradually eat voluntarily. Suffocation will occur if too much food or too
much liquid is given at one time.

Housing:

All efforts should be maintained to keep the bird
in its natural environment.

Keep the bird in a dark, quiet place, at normal
room temperature (70 to 75 degrees). The environment should be as free of
human exposure as possible and the bird should not be tamed. Partially covering
the cage with a piece of sheet is useful, and allow the uncovered end of the
cage to be exposed to daylight. Provide sufficient space. Small
birds should be housed in a cage large enough for flight with appropriate
perches and food. Meat eaters need special rehabilitation techniques.
Water birds need a body of water and flight space.

Release:

Consult the local Audubon Society or Wildlife
rescue group prior to releasing the bird. The locale has to be a natural
habitat; there should be other birds of the same species; there should not be an
overcrowding of that species; the captive bird should not be too tame; and there
should not be any predators.